Site Selection, Survey and Treatment Plan - Afforestation, Reforestation and Forest Restoration in Arid and Semi-arid Tropics - page 74

Fig. 3.9 Fence needs to
maintained (re-positioned) in
active sand dunes

This will depend upon the species chosen, climatic and edaphic conditions of the site,
and funds available. Usually point-to-point watering—that is, spot irrigation—alone
is possible. Approximately 15 l of water is applied to a plant in each watering.
Fertilising and manuring may have to be considered in those exceptional cases
where soil fertility is too poor to meet the need of the species chosen. Many times
addition of mulch to the soil or filling the pit with fertile soil brought from outside
may be appropriate. However, these are special measures to overcome constraints
of nutritional deficiency and climatic adversity, and are not feasible in large scale
afforestation programmes.
Continuous maintenance of fence is another operation that should form a part of
every treatment plan (Fig. 3.9 ). Protection measures against pests, animals, wildlife,
frost, and heat should also be included in the treatment plan. The S&WC structures
may be damaged by rain in the first year, and therefore these should be repaired in the
next year just before rains. Suitable provision for this should be kept in the treatment
plan.
Replacement of casualties should be included in the treatment plan of the second
year. Re-sowing in areas where seed could not germinate should be included too.
Casualty replacement would involve re-digging of pits, re-planting of saplings and
all subsequent operations like weeding and hoeing. During re-planting, the species
selected can be changed if it is found that a particular species has not performed well
at the site.
Pruning and training of certain plants that branch too low should be provided for.
Normally no pruning is done till a plant is of 2 years of age in the field. Approxi-
mate number of plants expected to be pruned and trained should be recorded in the
treatment plan.

3.8.6 Layout of Treatment Plan

All the facts should be recorded in a well-designed and unambiguous format, and all
the spatial features should be marked on the map—possibly using thematic overlays
marked on different transparent sheets—so that the treatment plan is a comprehen-
sive self-contained document. It may be noted that a treatment plan is a document